Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the number of unexploded land mines in Afghanistan; and what steps the Government is taking to help remove them.

Bob Ainsworth: There is no single reliable estimate of the total number of unexploded land mines within the sovereign territory of Afghanistan. The HALO Trust estimates that up to 640,000 mines were laid from 1979 until 1999, which saw the entry into force of the Ottawa convention.
	DFID is providing around £10.6 million to the HALO Trust over five years (2008-13) to clear land mines and unexploded ordnance in Herat province (western Afghanistan). In addition, as part of the UK's annual commitment of £10 million p.a. to de-mining across the world, the HALO Trust receives £3 million p.a. Of this, it is expected to commit around £150,000 to de-mining work in central and northern Afghanistan this year.

Nuclear Submarines

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 23 February 2009,  Official Report, column 17, on the collision of nuclear submarines, when Parliament will be informed of the findings of the inquiry; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: I anticipate that the inquiry into the incident involving HMS Vanguard and Le Triomphant will report to me shortly. I will consider what and how to report to Parliament once I have received that report and bearing in mind the need to protect information in the interests of national security.

Sports: Disabled

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent steps the Government is taking to promote sport for people with a disability.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Sport England have advised that they gave the English Federation of Disability Sport (EFDS) £1.1 million of core funding in 2008-09 for the organisation to promote inclusion and achieve equality of sporting opportunities for disabled people.
	Sport England has been a key partner in the development of the Playground to Podium framework which supports the identification and development of disabled players and athletes. As part of this framework Sport England has recently given £3,066,821 of funding to six National Governing Bodies (NGBs): Athletics (£604,100), Boccia (£56,532), Football (£521,200), Swimming (£721,989), Table Tennis (£569,900), and Wheelchair Basketball (£593,100).
	Sport England is now working with all of the London 2012 Paralympics sports including Boccia, Wheelchair Rugby, and Goal ball to support the recognition of NGBs and the development of stronger infrastructure within these sports. Boccia, Wheelchair Rugby, and Goal ball have been allocated over £1.65 million for the 2009-13 period.
	Each of the 46 sports that have submitted funding applications to Sport England for the 2009-13 period had their submissions assessed on commitment of the sport to developing opportunities for under-represented groups including people with a disability.

Theatre: Concessions

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent steps the Government is taking to promote the free theatre tickets initiative.

Barbara Follett: The Free Theatre Ticket for under 26s Scheme, known as A Night Less Ordinary, which has received widespread media coverage, is managed by Arts Council England. It went 'live' across the country on 16 February 2009 to coincide with spring half-term. Individual theatres participating in the Scheme are responsible for marketing their own free theatre ticket offer.
	Arts Council England has agreed a partnership with Metro to help promote the A Night Less Ordinary Scheme in newspapers and online.
	There is a dedicated website:
	http://www.anightlessordinary.org.uk/
	where users can find details of local participating theatres and sign up to receive a newsletter providing regular information about the Scheme. Between the websites first day of operation on 10 February and 26 February 2009, the website had received over 170,000 visits. 4,500 people had signed up to receive the newsletter. There is also an A Night Less Ordinary Facebook group.

Olympic Games 2012: Expenditure

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister for the Olympics how much had been spent on the aquatics venue at the latest date for which figures are available; and what the estimated final cost of the venue is.

Tessa Jowell: At the end of December 2008, £33 million had been spent on the Aquatics Centre project.
	The original November 2007 budget for the project was £214 million. This was increased to £246 million due to the transfer of £28 million to the Aquatics Centre budget from that of the F10 Bridge—the land bridge that will form part of the roof of the venue—and increases in scope to allow for enhanced community use of the venue in legacy. There is a potential cost pressure relating to a possible scope change for additional athlete facilities, which may or may not arise, estimated at £5 million.

Administration

Jo Swinson: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission pursuant to the answer of 26 February 2009,  Official Report, column 935W, what assessment the House of Commons Commission has made of the merits of the  (a) accounting and administration systems for and  (b) systems for provision of information to the public on hon. Members' expenses in place in the (i) Scottish Parliament and (ii) National Assembly for Wales; and whether the Commission has considered adopting elements of those systems for use by the House authorities.

Nick Harvey: The Scottish Parliament and the National Assembly for Wales operate systems of allowances and governance that differ from those that apply in the House of Commons. In the case of the provision of information, the Scottish Parliament is subject to separate access to information legislation and associated scrutiny. In reaching its own decisions in relation both to the administration of Members' allowances and publication of information about them the Members Estimate Committee has drawn on a range of sources including the other UK legislatures and assemblies. For example the Committee drew extensively on the experience of the Scottish Parliament in its Review of Allowances (HC 578) published in June 2008.

Snow and Ice

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission pursuant to the answer of 5 February 2009,  Official Report, column 1391W, on snow and ice, if he will assess the merits of issuing all hon. Members with snow shovels.

Nick Harvey: No. As I said in my reply to the hon. Member on 5 April, the cleaning contractor, who has responsibility for snow clearance, has increased the number of snow shovels held on the parliamentary estate to 20.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the government of Pakistan on its agreement with the Taliban in Swat province.

Bill Rammell: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary's last discussions with the government of Pakistan were with President Zardari on 9 February 2009. He has not discussed, Pakistan government's announcement of a halt to military operations in Swat.

Binyam Mohamed

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the use by Moroccan intelligence services of intelligence gathered by  (a) UK and  (b) US authorities during the interrogation of Binyam Mohamed; whether he authorised the release of such information to the Moroccan intelligence services; what discussions he has had with the US administration on the release of such information (i) prior and (ii) subsequent to its release; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: It is the long-standing policy of the Government not to comment on intelligence matters. The Intelligence Security Committee's 2007 Report on Rendition stated that
	"there is a reasonable probability that intelligence passed to the Americans was used in relation to Mr. Mohamed's subsequent interrogation."

Colombia: Drugs

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the Answer of 12 January 2009,  Official Report, column 358W, on Colombia: armed forces, what consideration his Department has given to the merits of providing counter-narcotics assistance to Colombia through the UN Office on Drugs and Crime.

Gillian Merron: We support a number of projects on counter narcotics in Colombia and elsewhere in the Latin American region that are implemented by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office supports the following recent or ongoing UNODC projects in Colombia:
	(i) Expanding regional legal assistance programmes (multi-year 2007-10)
	(ii) Training against money laundering (2007-08)
	(iii) Best practices in trials and investigation (multi-year 2007-09)
	(iv) Colombia/Venezuela border (multi-year 2008-09)
	(v) Risk of money laundering in Commerce and Trade (multi-year 2009-11)
	(vi) Regional criminal justice sector reform (multi-year 2009-12)
	(vii) Implementation of Best Practices in Civil Asset Forfeiture (Colombia/Peru) (2009)
	(viii) Integrated monitoring system for illicit crops (2007-08)

English Language: Education

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the Prime Minister's announcement on English—the World's language on 17 January 2008, what progress has been made in inviting offers from telephone, telecom, internet, broadcast and website companies to make the latest and most dynamic English learning, teaching and practice materials available through their channels.

Caroline Flint: Following my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister's announcement, the British Council is in detailed discussions with a major global IT business and a web based learning company about providing its English language materials for global distribution.
	In April 2008, the British Council, in partnership with the BBC and UK English language teaching publishers, launched the 'TeachingEnglish' website which now attracts 350,000 unique visitors a month. The British Council is also piloting a new voice over inter protocol offer in workplace English for young Chinese professionals with a Chinese company.
	The 'TeachingEnglish' website is available for viewing at:
	http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/

Nuclear Disarmament

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many copies of his Departmental report, Lifting the Nuclear Shadow: Creating the Conditions for Abolishing Nuclear Weapons, have been published; what methods he has used to publicise and distribute the paper; who was present at the launch of the paper at the International Institute for Strategic Studies on 4 February 2008; and which non-governmental organisations were consulted in preparation of the report.

Bill Rammell: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) printed an initial run of 3,000 copies of the report. It is also available for download from the FCO website, to date, over 1,000 copies have been downloaded. The paper is being publicised and distributed online, via e-mail, and through overseas posts. The launch event for the paper at the International Institute for Strategic Studies on 4 February 2008 was attended by interested non-governmental organisations (NGO's), academics, parliamentarians, the media, representatives of foreign embassies and International Institute for Strategic Studies members. NGO's consulted in preparation of the report were:
	Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
	VERTIC
	The Acronym Institute for Disarmament Diplomacy
	Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs
	Medact
	British American Security Information Council
	Kings College London
	Royal United Services Institute
	UK Defence Academy
	Southampton University
	University of Wales
	International Institute of Strategic Studies
	Council on Foreign Relations
	Carnegie Endowment
	Nuclear Threat Initiative

Sri Lanka: Foreign Relations

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the remit of the Prime Minister's special envoy to Sri Lanka is.

Bill Rammell: We hope that my right hon. Friend the Member for Kilmarnock and Loudoun (Des Browne) in his role as the Prime Minister's special envoy for Sri Lanka, will be able to focus on the immediate humanitarian situation in northern Sri Lanka and the government of Sri Lanka's work to set out a political solution to bring about a lasting end to the conflict. We want him to work closely with the Sri Lankan government, leaders from all communities in Sri Lanka, international agencies and the wider international community in this role. As my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary explained to the House on 24 February 2009,  Official Report, column 140, he remains in active discussion with the Sri Lankan government to encourage them to work with him.

USA: Israel

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Government has received notification from the United States administration in the last six months of any US transfer of armaments to Israel through UK airspace.

John Hutton: I have been asked to reply.
	The Ministry of Defence has a system in place that requires all countries to seek clearance for aircraft registered as military or state aircraft that wish to enter, fly over or depart from UK airspace or for civilian aircraft wishing to land at a military base. All other types of aircraft are subject to the requirements of the Civil Aviation Authority. A request for clearance from the MOD includes the final destination of the flight and details of dangerous cargo that may be in transit. I can confirm that we have had no such requests from the US with regards to flights to Israel through UK airspace in the last six months.

Western Sahara: Fisheries

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of the effects on UK trawlers of the declaration of an exclusive economic zone in relation to the waters off Western Sahara.

Bill Rammell: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not received any reports about the effect the declaration by the Polisario of an exclusive economic zone off the waters of Western Sahara has had on the activities of UK trawlers.
	In line with UN Security Council Resolution 1813, 30 April 2008 the Government continues to call on all the parties to the dispute to work in a spirit of realism and compromise towards a mutually acceptable political solution, providing for self-determination for the people of Western Sahara.

Western Sahara: Human Rights

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will request the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to release the Commission's report on its missions to Rabat, El Ayoun, Tindouf and Algiers in May and June 2006.

Bill Rammell: The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) visited Morocco, Western Sahara, refugee camps in Tindouf, (Algeria) and Algiers in May-June 2006 to gather information on the human rights situation. The OHCHR shared its report privately with Morocco, Algeria and the Polisario on 8 September 2006, but did not publish it, in line with terms of reference agreed by all parties prior to the visit. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights continues to maintain the position that the report should remain an internal document, not for official publication, and the UK respects this decision.

Western Sahara: Politics and Government

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the Government's policy is on the inclusion in a UN plan for Western Sahara of a referendum with independence as an option.

Bill Rammell: The UK continues to believe that progress towards a negotiated solution to the dispute in Western Sahara providing for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara, is best achieved under the auspices of the UN. We fully support the efforts of the UN Secretary-General to this end and welcome the appointment of his new personal envoy to the Western Sahara, Christopher Ross.
	The UK believes that a referendum on the future status of Western Sahara should result from the negotiation process currently under-way, with the options for any eventual referendum to be agreed by all the parties.

Departmental Pay

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department has allocated for staff bonuses in 2008-09.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Performance related pay schemes encourage high attainment, help drive performance in departments and agencies and support better public service delivery. DEFRA uses non-consolidated payments to reward high performance during the year and these are based on the how well an individual has met or exceeded set objectives, relative to their peers.
	These are one-off payments and do not count towards pension. They are funded within existing pay bill controls, have to be re-earned each year and, as such, do not add to future pay bill costs. They are allocated from a 'pot' expressed as a percentage of the salary budget each year.
	For the senior civil service (SCS) the size of the pot available is agreed centrally each year following recommendations from the senior salaries review body. In recent years, this pot has increased as greater emphasis is placed on non-consolidated performance pay with proportionately smaller increases to consolidated base pay.
	The size of the pot for non-SCS is determined individually by Departments and Agencies through the pay remit process and in negotiations with the trades unions.
	In 2008-09, £4,913,971 was allocated for non-consolidated performance pay for staff in DEFRA and its Executive Agencies. The total paybill for the period is £384,631,197, of which, 1.28 per cent. is used for non-consolidated performance payments.
	The median payment for staff in core DEFRA (including staff who transferred to DECC in October 2008) and those agencies covered by core-DEFRA's terms and conditions (Animal Health, Veterinary Medicines Directorate, Marine and Fisheries Agency and Government Decontamination Service and until 1 April 2008 Pesticides Safety Directorate) was £750. In CSL it was £507.57; in VLA it was £266.23; in CEFAS it was £956; and in the RPA it was £800.

Floods: Canvey Island

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment has been made of the effect on the flood plain of the works planned in the flood risk area of Canvey Island in relation to the Roscommon Way Extension; and if he will make a statement.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Environment Agency has informed the Highways Authority consultants, Mouchel Parkman that a flood risk assessment (FRA) must be submitted as part of the planning application for the Roscommon Way extension. The FRA must determine the flood risk impact of the road and propose mitigation measures so there is no increased flood risk to the surrounding land. To date the Environment Agency has not been consulted on the flood risk assessment.

Genetically Modified Organisms: Crops

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans his Department has for managing the co-existence of genetically-modified (GM) and non-GM crops.

Huw Irranca-Davies: In 2006 DEFRA published a consultation paper on proposals for managing the coexistence of GM and non-GM crop in England. This is available at
	www.defra.gov.uk/environment/gm/crops/pdf/gmcoexist-condoc.pdf
	On 8 November 2007,  Official Report, column 16WS, we made a written statement confirming that we would await further developments before finalising our coexistence plans. That remains the current position.

Aviation: Carbon Emissions

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the average annual change in carbon dioxide emissions has been per passenger in relation to aircraft departing from UK airports in each year since 1990.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The following table provides estimates of aviation carbon dioxide emissions per passenger for all domestic and international air passengers flying from UK airports in each year from 1990 to 2007.
	Based on this data, average CO2 per domestic passenger has decreased from 0.10 tonnes in 1990 to 0.09 tonnes in 2007 and per international passenger from 0.41 tonnes in 1990 to 0.36 tonnes in 2007; this equates to an average annual fall of 1 per cent. in CO2 per passenger.
	
		
			  Table: Estimates of average CO 2  emissions per passenger flying from UK airports, 1990-2007 
			   Domestic aviation  International aviation 
			   Carbon dioxide (million tonnes)  Departing passengers (million)  Average CO 2  per passenger (tonnes)  Carbon dioxide (million tonnes)  Departing passengers (million)  Average CO 2  per passenger (tonnes) 
			 1990 1.24 12.2 0.10 15.71 38.6 0.41 
			 1991 1.21 11.5 0.11 15.48 36.3 0.43 
			 1992 1.22 11.6 0.11 17.12 41.5 0.41 
			 1993 1.30 12.1 0.11 18.23 44.0 0.41 
			 1994 1.21 12.9 0.09 18.97 48.2 0.39 
			 1995 1.29 14.0 0.09 20.17 50.7 0.40 
			 1996 1.40 15.2 0.09 21.38 52.7 0.41 
			 1997 1.46 16.0 0.09 22.74 57.3 0.40 
			 1998 1.59 16.7 0.10 25.30 62.7 0.40 
			 1999 1.76 17.5 0.10 27.49 66.7 0.41 
			 2000 1.90 18.6 0.10 30.31 71.3 0.42 
			 2001 1.99 19.2 0.10 29.56 71.4 0.41 
			 2002 2.00 21.0 0.09 29.01 73.3 0.40 
			 2003 2.04 22.9 0.09 29.72 77.1 0.39 
			 2004 2.18 24.3 0.09 32.53 83.6 0.39 
			 2005 2.38 25.1 0.09 35.09 89.0 0.39 
			 2006 2.29 24.9 0.09 35.65 92.7 0.38 
			 2007 2.14 24.4 0.09 34.97 96.0 0.36 
			  Notes: 1. Domestic aviation includes all departures from UK airports flying to another UK airport. International aviation includes all departures from a UK airport flying to a destination outside of the UK. These will carry both UK and foreign passengers. 2. The aviation CO2 emissions are derived from bunker fuel sales, which broadly equates to all departing aircraft (excluding military aircraft). Therefore the figures in the table do not reflect emissions from surface access nor emissions from airport buildings. 3. Emissions from freighter aircraft have been allocated to passengers in these illustrative figures. 4. The CO2 emissions do not account for non-C02 climate change effects of aviation emissions.  Sources: Carbon dioxide emissions - AEA Energy and Environment / DECC. Passengers - Civil Aviation Authority statistics. 
		
	
	The average CO2 per passenger figures in the table above have been calculated by dividing total CO2 emissions from departing flights by the number of departing passengers. They do not therefore reflect a weighted average of emissions to account for the relative numbers of flights flying different trip lengths. The level of emissions per passenger will be affected by such factors as load factors, type of aircraft used, fuel efficiency changes, etc.

Aviation: Taxation

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his forecast is for the constrained air passenger demand in 2030, taking into account  (a) the implementation of the increases in Air Passenger Duty announced in the 2008 Pre-Budget Report,  (b) expectations of future levels of gross domestic product as set out in the 2008 Pre-Budget Report and  (c) the effect of aviation being included in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme on the basis of current proposals; and what adjustment would be made to this forecast if it is also assumed that a barrel of oil will cost $150 in 2030.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport's UK Air Passenger Demand and CO2 Forecasts, page 48, reports the forecast of 2030 constrained air passenger demand for: each of the individual scenarios  (a),  (b),  (c); and, a 2030 oil price of $150 per barrel (in 2007 prices). This report is available at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/aviation/atf/co2forecasts09/
	No assessment has been made of the forecast of 2030 constrained air passenger demand taking into account  (a),  (b) and  (c) together. Therefore, no assessment has been made of the adjustment that would be made to such a forecast if a barrel of oil were to cost $150 (in 2007 prices) in 2030.

Bus Services: Merseyside

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many low floor wheelchair accessible buses are used on services funded by Merseytravel in  (a) Merseyside and  (b) Sefton (i) in total and (ii) as a proportion of the size of the fleet.

Paul Clark: The Department for Transport does not hold the information requested as the vehicle specification and funding for supported services is a matter for local authorities.

Departmental Data Protection

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what period of time elapses before his Department's electronic records are  (a) archived and  (b) destroyed; and what percentage of such records created in (i) 2007 and (ii) 2008 have been destroyed.

Geoff Hoon: The following table shows relevant information for the central Department and the Executive agencies:
	
		
			   Record management 
			 DFT Central The archival and destruction arrangements for all documents held as part of the official record, including those electronically produced, are subject to business need and agreement between business units and the Departmental Records Officer. Information on the number of electronic records created and destroyed is not available. 
			 Highways Agency All HA electronic records have a standard retention period of 7 years followed by a review. At the end of the review period they will be retained, destroyed or transferred to the National Archives at the appropriate time. No archiving is done within the HA. The HA electronic records management system went live on 1 February 2009, therefore no formal electronic records were created in 2007 and 2008. 
			 Vehicle and operator Services Agency Policies are in place for the archive and deletion of electronic data but the period for these actions varies in accordance with the business needs. No areas have deleted records for 2007 and 2008. 
			 Government Car and Despatch Agency Records management is the responsibility of individual units within the Agency. Destruction numbers are not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. 
			 Maritime and Coastguard Agency The MCA keep all of its records in hard copy format with archive and destruction following agreed retention and disposal agreements. As a result, no electronic records are archived or destroyed. 
			 Vehicle Certification Agency VCA does not have a separate electronic records policy but guidelines are in place for records management arrangements throughout the agency. 
			 Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency DVLA core business data relates to full driver and vehicle records. These records are retained indefinitely to meet our core business requirements, for example law enforcement. 
			 Driving Standards Agency DSA applies different archiving and destruction timescales according to the nature of the data. Records are not kept on the creation or destruction of electronic information.

Departmental Data Protection

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on what date his Department's policy on the management of its electronic records took effect; and on what dates it has been reviewed.

Geoff Hoon: The dates on which the central Department and Executive agency policies on record management took effect and were reviewed is set out in the following tables:
	
		
			   Date records policy took effect  Date records policy reviewed 
			 DFT(C) Prior to formation of DFT in 2002 Regularly reviewed and updated when necessary, most recently in December 2007 and October 2008 
			 HA 1994 Reviewed annually; January 2009 
			 VOSA 2003 Parts of the policy are currently being reviewed 
			 GCDA Working to DFT(C) records policy Will review GCDA records policy in 2009-2010 
			 MCA Working DFT(C) records policy Subject to DFT(C) review of policy and policy updates 
			 VCA Working to DFT(C) records policy The policy for VCA is currently being reviewed 
			 DVLA 2008 (for management of registered files) Reviewed annually; December 2008 
		
	
	The dates on which the Driving Standards Agency's policies on record management took effect and were reviewed is set out in the following table:
	
		
			  DSA p olicy  Approved  Reviewed 
			 HR Data Retention Policy November 2002 Currently under review 
			 DSA Records Management Policy March 2003 Currently under review 
			 Appropriate use of IT and Communications Equipment Policy August 2006 Reviewed version published July 2008 
			 Annex M of Pearson Data Processor Agreement December 2007 July 2008 
			 Retention Schedule for the Integrated Register of Driver Trainers May 2008 Review date not yet set 
			 Fraud and Integrity Retention and Disposal Schedule January 2009 Review date not yet set

Heathrow Airport

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  how many discrete views were expressed in responses to the Adding capacity at Heathrow airport consultation, broken down by  (a) the code allocated to the view under the code frame used by Detica and  (b) the response type in which the view was expressed;
	(2)  how many responses to the Adding capacity at Heathrow airport consultation were received in the form of  (a) Justine Greening Petition and  (b) Justine Greening your views of Heathrow Postcards, as categorised by Detica under its code frame; and how many of these responses included free-text.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 26 February 2009
	A detailed analysis of the responses to the adding capacity at Heathrow airport consultation can be found in the "adding capacity at Heathrow airport report on consultation responses", which was published on 15 January. Chapter 4 discusses response volumes, and Appendix B explains in detail the code frames used. 1549 'Justine Greening your views of Heathrow' postcards, and 584 'Justine Greening Petition' responses were received. However as the postcards were received before the start of the consultation, they were not analysed as individual responses. The request for a detailed breakdown of discrete views contained both in petition and postcard responses, and in all other responses, can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

High Speed Two

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the terms of reference he has given to the High Speed Two company.

Paul Clark: holding answer 27 February 2009
	 I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of Sate for Transport on 15 January 2009,  Official Report, columns 355-60, and accompanying document "Britain's Transport Infrastructure: High Speed Two", which was deposited in the House Libraries on the same day.

Motor Vehicles: Petrol Alternatives

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what  (a) research and  (b) trialling his Department has conducted on the provision of (i) hydrogen supply and (ii) electric charge points networks for road vehicles powered by hydrogen and electricity in the last five years; and what (A) funding and (B) other resources his Department has provided for (1) local authorities and (2) regional development agencies to create such networks in that period.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport (DfT) commissioned the Health and Safety Laboratory to examine the issues around hydrogen refuelling infrastructures. In 2008 they produced the reports "Assessing the safety of delivery and storage of hydrogen" and a "Review of the regulatory framework around hydrogen refuelling", available on:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/scienceresearch/futures/horizons/june08
	The Department and the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform commissioned Cenex (UK Centre of Excellence for Low Carbon and Fuel Cell technologies), along with the consultancy firm Arup, to examine and advise on the issues relating to the mass market introduction of electric vehicles. Their report is available at:
	http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file48653.pdf
	DfT has provided grant funding for electric recharging points of £171,000 through the alternative refuelling infrastructure grant programme of which £80,546 was provided directly to local authorities. There were no grants provided for the Regional Development Agencies for electric recharging points. No grants were provided for Hydrogen refuelling infrastructure.

New Trains: Investments

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the Statement of 12 February 2009,  Official Report, columns 1531-4W, on new trains (investments), by what date he expects the last of the 1,400 new carriages announced to be in service.

Paul Clark: The Intercity Express programme (IEP) order is for up to 1400 vehicles, the last of which are expected to enter service in 2018.

Public Transport: Disabled

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what funding his Department has made available to improve disabled access transport services in North Wiltshire constituency.

Paul Clark: In November 2007, the Department for Transport announced the allocation of over £50 million to Wiltshire county council, which covers the North Wiltshire constituency, to support delivery of capital investment included in the last three years of their local transport plan. This funding is not ring-fenced and Wiltshire has discretion to spend allocations in line with its priorities, including disabled access to transport services. Revenue expenditure on transport is generally supported through the Department for Communities and Local Government's formula grant.
	Local transport legislation contains an obligation for local transport authorities to have regard to the transport needs of older people and people with mobility difficulties when developing transport plans and policies.

Roads: Snow and Ice

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many days stock of gritting agent the Highways Agency held on  (a) 31 January 2009 and  (b) 6 February 2009; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Clark: The Highways Agency defines its salt stocks by the number of days that salt treatments could be delivered for snow conditions, across the strategic road network in England, without further deliveries being received—this assumes six treatments per day, at a salt spread rate of 20 g/m2 per treatment.
	During a normal winter season, the Highways Agency will seek to maintain a minimum salt stocks level of six days. For the requested dates, the salt stocks held by the Highways Agency were as follows:
	
		
			   Days 
			 31 January 2009 7.64 
			 6 February 2009 4.16 
		
	
	This reduction in stocks enabled the Agency to make some of its supplies available to individual local authorities and for new supplies of salt to be shared with local authorities and devolved Administrations across Great Britain, reflecting stocks held and forecast weather.

Rolling Stock

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Lewes of 9 February 2009,  Official Report, column 1606W, on rolling stock, what the timetable is for ordering the remaining 877 of the 1,300 carriages referred to in the 2007 White Paper, Delivering a Sustainable Railway.

Paul Clark: It is currently expected that the new train orders will be placed as follows:
	
		
			  Operator  Vehicles  Expected order date 
			 NXEA 120 2009 
			 LM 88 2009-10 
			 GoCo 202 2009 
			 SWT 140 2009-10 
			 TLK Up to 1,300 2009-10 
		
	
	However, this is subject to agreement with the train operators concerned and a satisfactory value for money assessment.

Wheel Clamps

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport under what circumstances the owner of a vehicle may be held liable for a payment to release a wheel clamp where the vehicle in question had been parked by a person other than the owner.

Paul Clark: Few local authorities use immobilisation as part of their parking enforcement activities. If an immobilised vehicle had been parked on the public highway by a person without the keeper's consent, the keeper would have to pay the release fee but can make representations to the local authority and, if this is refused, can appeal to an adjudicator on this ground.
	I understand from the Home Office that if such a vehicle was immobilised on private land the way that the vehicle keeper was treated would be at the discretion of the immobilisation staff.

Bereavement Benefits

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 3 February 2009,  Official Report, column 1010W, on bereavement benefits, how many payments of  (a) bereavement allowance and  (b) bereavement payment were (i) made within the target times and (ii) not made within the target times in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Kitty Ussher: There is no national target for the processing of applications for bereavement benefits although we aim to deliver bereavement allowance within 15 days and bereavement payment within 10 days.
	Information about average actual clearance time for bereavement allowance, widowed parents allowance and bereavement benefit payments for the last five years is in the following tables.
	
		
			  Bereavement allowance and widowed parents allowance average actual clearance times 
			   Days 
			 2004-05 15.4 
			 2005-06 14.8 
			 2006-07 15.4 
			 2007-08 18.8 
			 2008-09 to date 15.1 
		
	
	
		
			  Bereavement payment average actual clearance times 
			   Days 
			 2004-05 7.8 
			 2005-06 7.8 
			 2006-07 8.9 
			 2007-08 11.9 
			 2008-09 to date 9.2

Mortgage Interest Rate Relief

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what mortgage interest rate his Department is currently paying claimants entitled to assistance with mortgage interest; how many claimants have been paid less than this interest rate since the Pre-Budget Report; by how much those claimants have been underpaid; when he expects to be able to make good the payments to those claimants; and if he will make a statement.

Kitty Ussher: holding answer 27 January 2009
	On 24 November 2008, the Chancellor announced in the pre-Budget report that because of the exceptional circumstances in the economy and the housing market, the Government would maintain, for six months, the level of support for mortgage interest based on a standard interest rate of 6.08 per cent.
	Some people will experience a temporary drop below 6.08 per cent (to 4.58 per cent) because our IT systems had been programmed to track the Bank of England base rate. When the Chancellor's decision was made, our IT systems that are used to assess and pay of DWP benefits had started automatically to implement the 1.5 per cent reduction in the base rate announced by the Bank of England on 6 November.
	We were able to re-adjust the rate back to 6.08 per cent for people getting income-based jobseeker's allowance and income-related employment and support allowance. This amounted to 5 per cent. of the affected cases.
	We could not do so for those getting income support and pension credit without a high risk of disrupting the normal running of our IT systems, most critically the uprating of benefits, which would have affected many more people than just those getting support for mortgage interest.
	We estimate that 80,000 income support customers and 115,000 pension credit customers receive support for mortgage interest and these are currently being paid at 4.58 per cent.
	We are taking urgent action to ensure that these customers do not lose out, and that cases are corrected to reflect the Chancellor's commitment. I can assure the House that no one is being paid support for mortgage at an interest rate below 4.58 per cent.
	In total, departmental expenditure on support for mortgage interest is currently being underpaid at £1.5 million per week. In the vast majority of cases, we transfer customers' support for mortgage interest direct to their lender, so the customer will not see a fall in the amount of money they themselves receive each week. However we estimate that, on average, support for mortgage interest in respect of pension credit customers will have been underpaid by £7 per week and in respect of income support customers by £11 per week.
	We will make a corrective adjustment for a period of five weeks from 2 February to 8 March 2009. During this period, customers will receive an increase in their benefit to compensate them for the earlier reduction. Then, from 9 March benefit will be readjusted to the correct level with the standard interest rate set at 6.08 per cent.
	Mortgage lenders, via the Council of Mortgage Lenders, have also been advised about the situation to ensure that lenders are aware of exactly what is happening.
	Our staff have been fully briefed and we have issued clear guidance to local authority staff.

Pensioners: Poverty

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his most recent estimate is of the percentage of pensioners resident in  (a) the London borough of Bexley and  (b) London living in poverty.

Rosie Winterton: Poverty is a complex and multidimensional issue and, as such, there are many possible measures of poverty.
	Our public service agreement "Tackle poverty and promote greater independence and wellbeing in later life" includes a range of indicators related to low income for pensioners. These are relative low income (below 50 and 60 per cent. contemporary median household income), and absolute low income (below 60 per cent. of 1998-99 median income uprated in line with prices), all measured after housing costs have been taken into account.
	The data source does not allow us to provide robust numbers for estimates below the level of Government office region. The Information that is available for the percentage of pensioners in London below each of these thresholds is given in the following table.
	
		
			  Percentage of pensioners falling below various thresholds of median household income, after housing costs, London, 2004-05-2006-07 
			   Percentage 
			 Below 60 per cent of contemporary median household income 22 
			 Below 50 per cent of contemporary median household income 12 
			 Below 60 per cent of the 1998/99 median household income uprated in line with prices 12 
			  Notes: 1. Three survey year averages are given as robust single year estimates cannot be produced because of small sample sizes. 2. The income measures used to derive the estimates shown employ the same methodology as the Department for Work and Pensions publication "Households Below Average Income" (HBAI) series, which uses disposable household income, adjusted (or "equivalised") for household size and composition, as an income measure as a proxy for standard of living. 3. The figures are based on OECD equivalisation factors. 4. Figures are based on survey data and as such are subject to a degree of sampling and non-sampling error.

Pensioners: Poverty

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his most recent estimate is of the percentage of pensioners living in poverty resident in  (a) Winchester constituency and  (b) Hampshire.

Rosie Winterton: Poverty is a complex and multidimensional issue and, as such, there are many possible measures of poverty.
	Our public service agreement "Tackle poverty and promote greater independence and wellbeing in later life" includes a range of indicators related to low income for pensioners. These are relative low income (below 50 and 60 per cent. contemporary median household income), and absolute low income (below 60 per cent. of 1998-99 median income uprated in line with prices), all measured after housing costs have been taken into account.
	The data source does not allow us to provide robust numbers for estimates below the level of government office region. The information that is available for the percentage of pensioners in the south east government office region below each of these thresholds is given in the following table.
	
		
			  Percentage of pensioners falling below various thresholds of median household income, after housing costs, south east government office region, 2004-05 to 2006-07 
			   Percentage 
			 Below 60 per cent. of contemporary median household income 16 
			 Below 50 per cent. of contemporary median household income 9 
			 Below 60 per cent. of the 1998-99 median household income uprated in line with prices 8 
			  Notes: 1. Three survey year averages are given as robust single year estimates cannot be produced because of small sample sizes.  2. The income measures used to derive the estimates shown employ the same methodology as the Department for Work and Pensions publication 'Households Below Average Income' (HBAI) series, which uses disposable household income, adjusted (or "equivalised") for household size and composition, as an income measure as a proxy for standard of living.  3. The figures are based on OECD equivalisation factors.  4. Figures are based on survey data and as such are subject to a degree of sampling and non-sampling error.

Poverty: Children

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 28 January 2009,  Official Report, column 575W, on poverty: children, for which years information on the number of children born into families in relative poverty is available; and if he will make a statement.

Kitty Ussher: Information on the number of children born into families in relative poverty is not available for any period.
	This is because the main source of income data, the Family Resources Survey, is a snap-shot survey, capturing a household's situation at the time of interview. This means that the sample size for households with new born children will be small. It may also be the case that the response rate from families with very young children will be lower than usual and therefore may not be representative.

Social Security Benefits

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in  (a) each region of England,  (b) Scotland,  (c) Wales and  (d) Northern Ireland receive both working tax credit and housing benefit.

Kitty Ussher: 200,000 families received both working tax credit and housing benefit in the UK in 2006-07, the latest year for which figures are available.
	The Family Resources Survey (FRS) has been used to provide this estimate but sample sizes do not permit results at a regional level.
	 Notes:
	1. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 100,000.
	2. Administrative data do not hold this information as these two benefits are not cross referenced on the administrative systems.
	3. The FRS collects information on the incomes and circumstances of private households in the United Kingdom. The FRS is a nationally representative sample, covering approximately 26,000 households in 2006-07.
	4. The estimates are based on sample counts that have been adjusted for non-response using multi-purpose grossing factors which align the FRS to government office region populations by age and sex. Estimates are subject to sampling error and remaining non-response error.
	5. The FRS undercounts benefit caseload receipt when compared to administrative data. In 2006-07 the FRS undercounted housing benefit by 12 per cent. and undercounted working tax credit by 19 per cent. It is not possible to calculate how this under-recording affects the estimate of the number of families receiving both working tax credit and housing benefit.
	6. A family refers to a benefit unit, which is defined as a single adult or a couple living as married and any dependent children. Same-sex partners (and cohabitees) are also included in the same benefit unit. Housing benefit and working tax credit are awarded on a benefit unit basis.
	7. Working tax credit is administered by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs.
	 Source:
	Family Resources Survey 2006-07.

State Retirement Pensions

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 10 February 2009,  Official Report, columns 1807-08W, on state retirement pensions 
	(1)  what the cost of the  (a) payments and  (b) administration of the age addition was in the last 12 months; and if he will estimate the cost of increasing the age addition to (i) 50p, (ii) £1, (iii) £5 and (iv) £10 in 2009-10;
	(2)  if he will estimate the cost of increasing the age addition to  (a) 50 pence,  (b) £1,  (c) £5 and  (d) £10 and linking it to (i) earnings and (ii) prices in each of the next five years; and how many people currently receive the addition.

Rosie Winterton: The estimated cost of payments of the age addition in the last 12 months is £35 million.
	The information is not available for the costs of administration of the age addition in the last 12 months. The Pension, Disability and Carers Service do not separately identify the administration costs of delivering the age addition to state pensions.
	The estimated cost of increasing the age addition to  (a) 50p,  (b) £1,  (c) £5 and  (d) £10 and linking it to prices and earnings in each of the next five years are shown in the following tables.
	
		
			  Table 1: Cost of increasing the age addition to (a) 50p in 2009-10 and (i) no linking, (ii) linking it to prices and (iii) earnings thereafter 
			   (i) No linking  (ii) Prices  (iii) Earnings 
			 2009-10 70 70 70 
			 2010-11 70 70 70 
			 2011-12 70 75 75 
			 2012-13 70 75 80 
			 2013-14 70 80 85 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2 : Cost of increasing the age addition to ( b) £1  in 2009-10 and (i) no linking, (ii) linking it to prices and (iii) earnings thereafter 
			   (i) No linking  (ii) Prices  (iii) Earnings 
			 2009-10 140 140 140 
			 2010-11 140 140 140 
			 2011-12 140 150 150 
			 2012-13 140 150 160 
			 2013-14 140 160 170 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3 : Cost of increasing the age addition to ( c) £5  in 2009-10 and (i) no linking, (ii) linking it to prices and (iii) earnings thereafter 
			   (i) No linking  (ii) Prices  (iii) Earnings 
			 2009-10 690 690 690 
			 2010-11 690 700 710 
			 2011-12 690 730 740 
			 2012-13 710 770 780 
			 2013-14 720 820 840 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 4 : Cost of increasing the age addition to ( d) £10  in 2009-10 and (i) no linking, (ii) linking it to prices and (iii) earnings thereafter 
			   (i) No linking  (ii) Prices  (iii) Earnings 
			 2009-10 1,380 1,380 1,380 
			 2010-11 1,380 1,410 1,410 
			 2011-12 1,380 1,450 1,470 
			 2012-13 1,420 1,550 1,570 
			 2013-14 1,450 1,630 1,670 
			  Notes: 1. The cost for payments of the age addition in the last 12 months is as of March 2008 and is in £ million, for Great Britain, in 2008-09 terms, rounded to the nearest £5 million. 2. For the costs of administration of the age addition in the last 12 months, most of the process is automated and the clerical elements are so minor that it is incorporated into normal daily actions and not identified separately. 3. In tables 1 to 4, costs are in £ million, for Great Britain, in 2008-09 terms. For values less than £100 million, rounding is to the nearest £5 million, otherwise, to the nearest £10 million. 4. Treasury Economic Assumptions have been used for linking the age addition to earnings and prices. 5. The estimated number of individuals who currently receive the age addition is as of March 2008.  Source: DWP modelling. 
		
	
	There are currently approximately 2.7 million individuals who receive the age addition.

Economic Situation: Canada

Michael Ancram: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with his Canadian counterpart on the economic downturn.

Ian Pearson: The Government's immediate priority is to continue to support the economy through these difficult times. As part of that, in addition to its regular monitoring of developments, HM Treasury has regular engagements with other governments, including Canada, on a range of issues relating to the economy.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to reply to the letter from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton of 15 January 2009 on Mr. K. Williams.

Ian Pearson: A reply has been sent to the right hon. Member.

Mortgages: Repossession Orders

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps the Government is taking to discourage banks from repossessing homes of people in mortgage arrears.

Ian Pearson: The Government introduced FSA regulation of mortgages in 2004. The FSA's regime provides important protections for borrowers. It requires lenders to treat their customers fairly, and to treat repossession as a last resort.
	FSA regulation is supported by the new mortgage pre-action protocol introduced in November 2008. This sets out clear guidance on what actions the courts expect lenders to take before bringing a claim in the courts, to help ensure that repossessions are a last resort and that lenders have tried to discuss and agree other alternatives with the borrower.
	Through the new Lending Panel, announced in the 2008 pre-Budget report, the Government are working closely with lenders, consumer groups and regulators to monitor lending and support best practice by lenders. The major lenders on the Lending Panel have committed not to repossess where the owner-occupier is less than three months in arrears.
	In December 2008, the Government announced a new Homeowner Mortgage Support Scheme, which will enable households that experience a significant and temporary loss of income as a result of the economic downturn to defer a proportion of the interest payments on their mortgage for up to two years. Further details are available at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/buyingselling/mortgagesupportscheme/
	The Government have also launched a Mortgage Rescue Scheme to help borrowers facing repayment difficulties remain in their homes and this scheme has been extended to include second charge lending. Depending on homeowners' circumstances, local authorities and housing associations can either buy a property and then rent it back to them, or buy a share of the property to reduce the household's overall mortgage costs. More information is available at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/buyingselling/mortgagerescuemeasures/

Departmental Data Protection

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Solicitor-General what percentage of contractors and suppliers to  (a) her Department and  (b) its agencies has reported compliance with the Government's security standards following publication of the report, Data Handling Procedures in Government, and the accompanying document, Cross-departmental Actions: Mandatory Minimum Action, on 25 June 2008.

Vera Baird: The Attorney-General's Office shares services with the Crown Prosecution Service, the Serious Fraud Office and the Treasury Solicitor's Department. All contractors and suppliers are compliant with the data handling report.

Departmental Data Protection

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Solicitor-General how many contracts  (a) her Department and  (b) its agencies have which allow contractors to store personal data of UK citizens overseas; for which contracts this applies; in which countries the data for each contract is held; and how many people have their data stored overseas in the case of each such contract.

Vera Baird: There are no such contracts in place.

Departmental Written Questions

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Solicitor-General on how many occasions in the last 12 months Ministers in The Law Officers' Departments have used their discretion to rule that a parliamentary question for written answer should be answered because it would be in the public interest to do so, even though to do so would exceed the disproportionate cost threshold of £700.

Vera Baird: None

Public Inquiries: Costs

Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse to date of all public inquiries taking place in Northern Ireland.

Shaun Woodward: The Bloody Sunday Inquiry is expected to cost a total of £190 million, including costs incurred by the Ministry of Defence. The Hamill, Wright and Nelson Inquiries are expected to cost a combined total of £117 million. The total cost to the end of January 2009 of all four public inquiries is £267 million, of which 70 per cent. of those costs relate to the Bloody Sunday Inquiry.

Public Inquiries: Costs

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the cost of payments made to legal firms used by public inquiries taking place in Northern Ireland for which his Department is responsible has been to date.

Shaun Woodward: £127 million has been paid to all legal representatives for work in relation to the ongoing public inquiries. Almost £100 million of this relates to the Bloody Sunday Inquiry, including costs incurred by the Ministry of Defence.
	Lessons were learned from the experience of the Bloody Sunday Inquiry. For the Hamill, Wright and Nelson Inquiries, caps on lawyers' hourly fees and the number of hours they could claim were imposed at the outset.

Consultative Group on the Past

Robert Goodwill: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland What assessment he has made of the recommendations of the Consultative Group on the Past; and if he will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: I am reflecting carefully on the proposals, and want to hear a wide range of views before developing the Government's full response.
	It is clear that there is no consensus on the recommendation of recognition payments and I have stated that the Government will not be accepting that recommendation. But this was just one of over 30 recommendations and I hope that the other proposals can now receive the careful consideration they deserve.

Saville Inquiry

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what his most recent estimate is of the cost of the Saville Inquiry.

Shaun Woodward: I have taken urgent steps to ensure the remaining running costs of the Bloody Sunday inquiry are kept as low as possible, and a package of measures has been agreed to reduce the projected cost by 20 per cent. over the remaining stages. The final cost of the inquiry is now expected to be in the region of £190 million.

Billy Wright Inquiry

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much the Wright Inquiry has spent on security for  (a) legal companies and  (b) witnesses.

Shaun Woodward: I am advised that the Billy Wright inquiry has spent £577,000 on security to the end of January 2009. There have been no specific costs associated with providing security for either legal teams or witnesses.

Robert Hamill Inquiry

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much the Hamill Inquiry has spent on security  (a) overall and  (b) for (i) legal companies and (ii) witnesses.

Shaun Woodward: I am advised that the Robert Hamill inquiry has spent £641,000 on security to the end of January 2009. There have been no specific costs associated with providing security for either legal companies or witnesses.

Rosemary Nelson Inquiry

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much the Nelson Inquiry has spent on security for  (a) legal companies and  (b) witnesses.

Shaun Woodward: I am advised that the Rosemary Nelson inquiry has spent £957,000 on security to the end of January 2009. There have been no specific costs associated with providing security for either legal teams or witnesses.

Alcoholic Drinks: Young People

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many children under the age of 15 years have been cautioned or arrested for drunken behaviour in  (a) North Wiltshire,  (b) Wiltshire,  (c) London and  (d) England in each of the last 10 years.

Alan Campbell: Cautions, reprimands and final warnings data are collected centrally at police force area level and are not further broken down. Therefore data for the constituency of North Wiltshire is not available.
	The number of persons aged under 15-years issued with a caution for offences of drunkenness in the Wiltshire police force area, the Metropolitan police force area (including the City of London) and England, from 1998 to 2007, are given in the following table.
	
		
			  N umber of persons aged under 15-years cautioned( 1)  for offences of drunkenness, by area, 1998 to 2007( 2, 3, 4) 
			   Wiltshire  p olice  f orce  a rea  Metropolitan  p olice  f orce  a rea( 5)  England 
			 1998 2 — 44 
			 1999 3 — 24 
			 2000(6) — 6 30 
			 2001 — 2 19 
			 2002 — 2 8 
			 2003 — 5 17 
			 2004 — 3 30 
			 2005 — — 18 
			 2006 — — 14 
			 2007 — — 8 
			 (1) From 1 June 2000 the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 came into force nationally and removed the use of cautions for persons under 18 and replaced them with reprimands and final warnings. These figures have been included in the totals. (2) These data are on the principal offence basis. (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (4) Includes the following statutes and corresponding offence descriptions:  Licensing Act 1872 s.12 Being found drunk in a highway or other public place. Sporting Events (Control of Alcohol etc) Act 1985 ss.l(4) and 1A(4) Drunk on a vehicle Sporting Events (Control of Alcohol etc) Act 1985 s.2(2) Drunk in, or when entering, a designated sports event. Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 s.12 Alcohol consumption in designated public places. Offences against similar provisions in Local Acts (5) Includes the City of London police force area. (6) Staffordshire police force were only able to submit sample data for persons proceeded against and convicted in the magistrates courts for the year 2000. Although sufficient to estimate higher orders of data, these data are not robust enough at a detailed level and have been excluded from the table.  Source:  Office for Criminal Justice Reform—Evidence and Analysis Unit [Our ref: IOS 95-09]

Alternatives to Prison

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of community service alternatives to prison sentences in reducing rates of re-offending; and if she will make a statement.

David Hanson: I have been asked to reply.
	The following table shows the latest re-offending figures for people who were released from a custodial sentence, or commenced a court order under probation supervision, between 1 January 2006 and 31 March 2006. The table shows the number of offenders in the cohort, the proportion of offenders that committed at least one further offence and the number of further offences committed per 100 offenders.
	
		
			   Number of offenders  Actual re-offending rate  Number of offences per 100 offenders 
			 Court Orders(1) 36,777 36.1 121.7 
			 Custody 14,380 46.5 208.4 
			 (1 )Court orders include pre-CJA 2003 community sentences, new community orders and suspended sentence orders. 
		
	
	These statistics should not be compared to assess the effectiveness of sentences as there is no control for known differences in offender characteristics. There are known differences between characteristics of these two groups of offender which may affect the choice of disposal, such as number of previous offences.
	For a time series, and more detailed breakdown of the aforementioned table, please see table A5 in the publication Re-offending of .Adults: results of the 2006 cohort:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/reoffendingofadults.htm
	The Government wants community sentences to be tough, effective and visible. Part of this programme of work has been creating seven Intensive Alternatives to Custody (IAC) demonstrator projects, which provide intensively delivered and supervised community sentence options to courts as an alternative to short term custody. These projects were announced by the Justice Secretary on 5 December 2007 and the first project commenced operations in March 2008. The seven projects will run for three years and will be subject to a rigorous evaluation to be delivered in 2011.

Asylum

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many local authorities had signed up to take part in the Gateway refugee programme on 31 January 2009.

Meg Hillier: There are 15 local authorities currently participating in the Gateway Protection Programme.

Crimes of Violence: Football

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she plans to take to reduce violence by spectators at football matches.

Alan Campbell: Serious violence at football matches is now extremely rare compared to the period between 1970 and 2000. On average there is just one arrest in connection with football matches played in England and Wales; and that covers arrests at any place within 24-hours either side of a match.
	The English and Welsh football strategy for minimising football safety and security risks introduced after Euro 2000 has proven to be very successful. The strategy is based upon effective partnerships between Government, police, football authorities and supporter groups and on the concept of isolating risk fans whilst empowering the overwhelming majority of fans to take responsibility for their actions and self police.
	The football banning order arrangements introduced in 2000 continue to be a highly effective cornerstone of the strategy and an important means for excluding known risk fans and deterring misbehaviour amongst the rest. The orders have proven to be a highly successful rehabilitative measure with around 94 per cent. of individuals whose orders have expired being assessed by police as no longer posing a risk of football disorder.
	The strategy is now universally recognised as the best in the world and is being replicated around the globe. However, there can and will be no complacency.

Customs Officers: Manpower

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many front line customs officers work at each port on the UK border.

Phil Woolas: Through intelligence led and risk based interventions by flexible and mobile teams the UK Border Agency aims to maintain a permanent cover of all points of entry into the UK.
	Nationally there are approximately 4,500 front line customs officers that are now part of the UK Border Agency.
	More detailed information cannot be disclosed as this would provide information of value to those seeking to circumvent the controls, thereby prejudicing the prevention and detection of crime.

Departmental Consultants

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost of her Department's contracts with management consultants was in each of the last five years.

Phil Woolas: The Home Department engages consultancy firms to support and augment civil servants in the delivery of a wide range of work, including large IT development programmes and, where more cost effective, longer term service delivery programmes.
	The Department's expenditure on these services is consequently allocated across a wide range of firms, from small, specialist companies with niche expertise and few employees, to global multinational organisations offering a broad spectrum and substantial depth of consultancy expertise.
	The Department's policy seeks to award contracts in competition according to the EU Procurement Directives based on value for money.
	The Department uses OGC framework agreements where appropriate. The use of external consultants provides the Department with specialist knowledge, skill, capacity and technical expertise that would not otherwise be available.
	We are able to provide figures for consultancy expenditure for the previous three complete financial years. Owing to an accounting systems change prior to that time we are unable to provide equivalent figures for the two earlier years.
	The Home Department's expenditure including its Executive Agencies (United Kingdom Border Agency, Identity and Passport Service and Criminal Records Bureau) rounded to nearest £1 million in the financial years 2005-06, 2006-07, and 2007-08 on consultancy services is set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Table 1 
			  Financial year  Consultancy expenditure  (£ million) 
			 2005-06 139 
			 2006-07 148 
			 2007-08 96

Departmental Freedom of Information

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Freedom of Information Act 2000 requests to her Department were refused on the ground of cost in  (a) 2006,  (b) 2007 and  (c) January to June 2008.

Phil Woolas: Figures for the number of occasions in 2006 and 2007 information has been withheld in full using Section 12 of the Freedom of Information Act because the cost of providing a response would exceed the cost limit has been published in the 2006 and 2007 annual reports on the operation of the FOI Act in Central Government.
	 2006
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/docs/foi-annual-report-central-gov-2006.pdf
	 2007
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/docs/foi-report-2007-final-web.pdf
	In the period January—June 2008 the number of request received and refused on grounds of cost was 124.

Deportation: Offenders

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer given to the hon. Member for Beaconsfield of 20 November 2008,  Official Report, column 720W, on deportation: offenders, what progress has been made on  (a) the 11 cases where her Department is seeking to deport individuals on grounds of national security because of their suspected involvement in terrorism and  (b) the 19 cases where action on national security grounds was commenced but later discontinued.

Vernon Coaker: Of the 11 cases we are seeking to deport on national security grounds 10 remain at various stages of the deportation and appeals process including the European Court of Human Rights. Deportation proceedings have ceased against one individual as it was considered that such action was no longer appropriate due to the circumstances of the case.
	There has been no change in the 19 cases where deportation was discontinued.

Detention Centres

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations she has received from non-governmental organisations on the operation of immigration removal centres in the UK.

Phil Woolas: The UK Border Agency detention services who are responsible for the operation of the immigration detention estate have not received any recent representations from non-government organisations on the operation of removal centres in the UK.
	However, quarterly meetings are held between UKBA detention services and representatives from non-governmental organisations under the heading of the detention user group. This forum gives representatives the opportunity to raise any concerns they may have regarding the operation of removal centres and detention in general and for the agency to update them on any operational or policy developments.

Illegal Immigrants

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions she has had at European level on  (a) harmonisation of legislation on family re-unification,  (b) medical assistance for illegal migrants and  (c) admitting the children of illegal migrants to schools.

Phil Woolas: Home Office Ministers have not taken part in any recent discussions at European level on these specific topics. EU legislation on asylum and immigration matters, apart from rights of free movement for EEA nationals and their family members, is subject to the UK's opt in protocol. We will opt in only if this is consistent with maintaining our frontier controls and in the national interest.
	In respect of family reunification, to date the UK has not opted into the Family Reunification Directive. In respect of illegal immigration, I strongly support the principle stated in the European Pact on Migration and Asylum, which calls for illegal migrants to be removed to their countries of origin and transit.

Illegal Immigrants: Deportation

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many illegal immigrants were deported in 2007-08 to each country of origin; what modes of transport were used in relation to each country; how many such people were refused entry to their destination country; and what happened to each such person.

Phil Woolas: The Home Office publishes statistics on the number of persons removed and departed voluntarily from the UK, broken down by destination, on a quarterly and annual basis. National Statistics on immigration and asylum are placed in the Library of the House and are available from the Home Office's Research, Development and Statistics website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum-stats.html
	Statistics covering the fourth quarter of 2008 up to December were published on 24 February.
	Enforced removals to all countries are generally undertaken via a combination of scheduled or charter flights.
	There are a variety of reasons why a person, during the removals process, may be refused entry to their country of destination. Due to this each case will be handled differently. Generally the person will be returned to the UK and re-enter the removals process.
	The number of individuals refused entry to their destination country and what happens to them is not centrally recorded. The information requested could be obtained only by the detailed examination of individual case records at disproportionate cost.

Immigration

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with which countries of origin of migrants the UK has re-admission agreements; when each such agreement was signed; and with which countries her Department is negotiating such agreements.

Phil Woolas: The UK has always maintained the position that all countries are under an obligation to readmit their own nationals who are removed from another country, independently of Readmission Agreements. The UK wants to build international alliances to help deliver our policies. A key element of this is to co-operate on migration through bilateral and multilateral relationships with other countries. To this end the UK has formal agreements and informal arrangements with various countries to readmit their nationals.
	Only where there is a specific need does the UK seek to negotiate Readmission Agreements. There is a bilateral Readmission Agreement in force with Switzerland, signed on 16 December 2005, and we also have another with Algeria which was signed on 11 July 2006. There are currently no negotiations being undertaken for a bilateral Readmission Agreement with any third country.
	The UK also works closely with our European partners in the area of returns. The European Union has its own framework of agreements called European Community Readmission Agreements (ECRA). These are negotiated and signed by the European Commission on behalf of the member states and Ministers decide on the UK's opt-in position to these agreements.
	There are 11 European Community Readmission Agreements which have been signed and are now in force as follows:
	Hong Kong signed on—27 November 2002
	Macao signed on—13 October 2003
	Sri Lanka signed on—4 June 2004
	Albania signed on—14 April 2005
	Russia signed on—25 May 2006
	Ukraine signed on—18 June 2007
	Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia signed on—18 September 2007
	Serbia signed on—18 September 2007
	Montenegro signed on—18 September 2007
	Bosnia Herzegovina signed on—18 September 2007
	Moldova signed on—10 October 2007
	There are also open ECRA mandates with the following countries, but these are at various stages of negotiation and agreements have yet to be signed; China, Pakistan, Algeria, Morocco, Turkey and Georgia. The UK has opted into all ECRA's negotiated so far, and to all negotiating mandates proposed to date.

Immigration: Manpower

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of her Department's frontline immigration staff are working  (a) in Calais and  (b) in France outside Calais.

Phil Woolas: The number of frontline immigration staff working in France as at end of January 2009, stated as full time equivalents, are set out as follows:
	
		
			  Area of France  Number of staff stated as full- time equivalents 
			 Calais 399.15 
			 In France outside Calais 319.80

Immigration: Manpower

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many front line immigration officers are working at each port on the UK border.

Phil Woolas: The numbers of immigration officers working within each regional operations area on the UK border are as follows:
	
		
			  Region  Number of frontline immigration staff( 1) 
			 North 483.3 
			 South 626.0 
			 Central 477.9 
			 Heathrow 1,112.6 
			 European operations 945.35 
			 Total 3,645.15 
			 (1) Expressed as full-time equivalents. Includes assistant immigration officers; immigration officers; chief immigration officers, and inspectors.  Note: Figures have been quoted according to regional command, as staff are deployed on a risk-assessed, intelligence-led basis to smaller ports within their operational region.

Immigration: Manpower

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of her Department's frontline immigration staff are working in Belgium.

Phil Woolas: The number of frontline immigration staff working in Belgium as at end of January 2009, stated as full time equivalents, is 30.
	In addition to this, UK border force operates a European operations mobile response team, which deploys staff to Zeebrugge and Ostend to conduct vehicle searches and provide assistance with dog patrols, in conjunction with the Belgian federal police.

Organised Crime

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been charged with criminal offences as a result of investigations conducted by the Serious and Organised Crime Agency in  (a) 2006-07,  (b) 2007-08 and  (c) the first six months of this financial year.

Alan Campbell: The information is as follows:
	 (a) The 2006-07 annual report stated that SOCA casework in the UK led to 749 arrests, 283 cases reaching court and 271 convictions. Data on the number of individuals charged for that period are not available.
	 (b) In 2007-08, 345 people were charged in the UK as a result of SOCA casework.
	 (c) The figures for the first six months of 2008-09 are subject to internal validation and will be finalised at the end of the current financial year.

Police: Manpower

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) police officers and  (b) police community support officers there were in each London local authority area in (i) 1997 and (ii) 2008-09; and what the total strength of the Metropolitan Police Service was in each of those years.

Vernon Coaker: Police personnel statistics are collected by police force area and not by local authority. However, there is strength data available at basic command unit level, which within London equates with local authority, from 2002-03 onwards.
	There were 26,667 full-time equivalent police officers working for the Metropolitan police and 859 working for City of London police as at 31 March 1997. Police community support officers were not introduced until 2002-03. Data for the current financial year will not be published until July 2009. Police service strength data for 2007-08 can be found at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs08/hosb0808.pdf
	and supplementary tables for strength at BCU level at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs08/hosb0808add_tab.xls

Police: Manpower

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers are working at each port of entry on the UK border.

Vernon Coaker: Police personnel statistics are not collected within the Home Office by UK ports, but rather by police force authorities in England and Wales only. Following consultation with ACPO, data regarding police officers whose primary function is "ports" is, under section (31) Law Enforcement of the Freedom of Information Act, withheld from the public domain as disclosure may be likely to prejudice the prevention or detection of crime.

Telecommunications: Databases

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 22 January 2009,  Official Report, column 1630W, on telecommunications: databases, what her most recent estimate is of the cost of the Interception Modernisation Programme to the nearest billion pounds.

Vernon Coaker: The IMP will require a substantial level of investment which will need to tie in with the Government's three-year CSR periods. The scale of overall economic investment is very difficult to calculate because of the complexity of the programme and wide-ranging implementation solutions currently being considered. Further detail on budgetary estimates for the IMP will however become available once the public consultation process (announced by the Home Secretary on 15 October 2008) commences.

Telephone Services: Commuters

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what estimate has been made of the cost of providing a personal telephone line for commuters to call to be told their safest route home over the next five years; and how much would be spent on  (a) staff costs,  (b) IT costs and  (c) advertising;
	(2)  what estimate has been made of the number of people who would use a personal telephone line for commuters to call to be told their safest route home over the next five years;
	(3)  what IT systems her Department has considered for use in locating callers to a telephone line for commuters to be told their safest route home;
	(4)  whether  (a) focus groups and  (b) polling were used by her Department to assess the proposal of a personal telephone line for commuters to call to be told their safest route home

Alan Campbell: The Home Office has not done any work to develop a personal telephone line for commuters to call to be told their safest route home.

UK Border Agency: Inspections

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what work the UK Border Agency Chief Inspector has undertaken since his appointment; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: Since his appointment the independent chief inspector has been undertaking a wide range of preparatory work to establish his function. He has recruited around 20 staff and has developed provisional methodology and protocols for his inspections, drawing on best practice from other inspection and regulatory bodies. He has worked with the Independent Monitor to see the work she undertakes; met key managers in UK Borders Agency and visited a range of operations. He has also engaged with an extensive range of external stakeholders, including welfare groups, other inspectorates, legal bodies, passenger and freight carriers and representatives of Foreign Governments. The chief inspector will shortly commence a series of pilot inspections.

Westminster City Council: Finance

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what grants her Department has made to Westminster City Council in each year since 2005-06; what sums were awarded; in what category each grant was made; and how much has been allocated for grants in 2009-10.

Phil Woolas: The Home Office has made the following grants to Westminster city council.
	
		
			  £ 
			  Grant  Category  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10 
			 Safer Stronger Communities Fund Resource 435,027 435,027 373,882 373,882 373,882 
			 Safer Stronger Communities Fund Capital 126,140 126,140 126,140 126,140 126,140 
			 Drugs Intervention Programme Resource 2,304,818 1,568,474 2,016,349 2,046,595 2,046,595 
			 Unaccompanied Asylum-seeking Children (UASC) Resource 2,473,010 1,408,609 915,311 578,695 (1)— 
			 EU Accession Claim Resource 0 192,347 33,651 0 0 
			 Safer Streets Resource 0 107,000 106,000 0 0 
			 Enabling Resource 135,000 140,000 140,000 0 0 
			 Young People Substance Misuse Partnership Resource 588,610 530,176 500,734 142,615 142,615 
			 (1) To be confirmed. 
		
	
	For the former young people substance misuse partnership grant, from 2008-09, the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), Home Office and the Department of Health agreed to change how their contributions were dispersed to local areas.
	Patterns of drug, alcohol and volatile substance use by young people vary greatly from place to place, so the Government moved to a more flexible and local needs-led approach to tackling the problem.
	Some of the former young people substance misuse partnership grant is going out to all areas through the area based grant which is paid on a non-ring fenced basis to allow maximum local flexibility, other elements are paid to primary care trusts through the pooled treatment budget and to youth offending teams through the Youth Justice Board. These funding arrangements are in place between 2008-09 to 2010-11.
	The Home Office allocation to Westminster city council 2008-09 to 2010-11 for this grant is as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 Area Based Grant 142,615 
			 Youth Offending Teams 39,644 
		
	
	The enabling grant is for the London Regional Migration Strategic Partnership. Payments were made via Westminster council who, along with the Greater London authority (GLA), represents the partnership. From 2008-09, payments are being made via the GLA.
	The Drug Intervention Programme funding is made up of the main grant of £1,196,447 plus Advance Apprenticeship £5,000 and CJIT funding of £367,027.
	There may also be additional grant payments funded by the Home Office that are received by Westminster city council, for instance, tackling violent crime programme grant and partnership performance improvement fund. However, the funding is not direct from the Home Office, but it is channelled through Government offices. As such, information on specific allocations or payments made throughout the requested period is not retained by the Home Office.

Cambridge Online Learning

Eric Illsley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer of 17 July 2008, whether the Government Office for Yorkshire and the Humber has completed its investigation into the circumstances of the award of EU Objective 1 funding to Cambridge Online Learning Ltd; and if she will make a statement.

John Healey: Government office for Yorkshire and the Humber has recently completed its investigation into the award and potential loss of Objective 1 ERDF funds to Cambridge Online. It has concluded that ERDF payments made to Cambridge Online were irregular. Cambridge Online received ERDF payments through a contract with Business Link South Yorkshire. The funds involved have been recovered from Business Link South Yorkshire.

Microgeneration: Planning Permission

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how many micro-generation installations on non-domestic buildings required full planning permission in  (a) 2006,  (b) 2007 and  (c) 2008.
	(2)  pursuant to the answer of 23 February 2009,  Official Report, column 118W, on microgeneration, when she first advised the micro-power industry of plans to consult on the introduction of permitted development rights on the installation of micro-generation units on non-domestic buildings; and if she will make a statement.

Iain Wright: Planning applications for the installation of non-domestic micro-generation installations are considered by local planning authorities on a case-by-case basis and information on the number of such installations that required planning permission is not available centrally.
	A commitment was made in the White Paper Planning for a Sustainable Future published in May 2007 to review and wherever possible extend permitted development rights on microgeneration to non-renewable uses including commercial and agricultural development. The White Paper also proposed consultation on detailed proposals.
	The Killian Pretty Review: Planning applications: A faster and more responsive system published in November 2008 recommended that the Government should consult on the scope for extending permitted development further allowing opportunities for small-scale renewable facilities on non-domestic buildings and land.
	The answer given by my hon. Friend, the Member for Tooting, (Mr. Khan) given on 23 February 2009,  Official Report, column 118W stated that we aim to consult on proposals this summer.

Written Questions: Government Responses

John Maples: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she expects to reply to Question 257080, on the proposed Middle Quinton eco-town, tabled on 10 February 2009.

Margaret Beckett: I replied to the hon. Member's Question on 2 March 2009,  Official Report, column 1227W.

Africa: Overseas Aid State for International Development what recent steps the Government has taken to

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of support humanitarian relief in Africa.

Ivan Lewis: The UK Government provided £205 million in Africa for humanitarian relief in the financial year 2007-08. Further details on the Department for International Development's (DFID) humanitarian strategy in Africa can be obtained from the Department for International Development publication "DFID Humanitarian Allocations in Africa 2007/2008" which is available in the publications section of the DFID website:
	http://www.dfid.gov.uk/pubs/files/2007-8-Africa-humanitarian-spend-analysis.pdf

Departmental Art Work

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which works of art from the Government Art Collection each Minister in his Department has selected for display in a private office.

Michael Foster: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for International Development has the following works of art from the Government art collection on display in his private office: 'Zoom' by Richard Smith; 'Composition of Figures' by Robert Medley; 'Night Dreams' by John Reginald Brunsdon; and 'Untitled' by John Hoyland.
	No other Ministers at the Department for International Development (DFID) have artwork from the Government Art Collection on display in their private offices.

Overseas Aid: HIV Infection

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps the Government has taken to prevent the spread of AIDS-related illnesses in third world countries in the last 12 months.

Ivan Lewis: In June 2008 the UK Government launched "Achieving Universal Access" the UK's strategy for halting and reversing the spread of HIV in the developing world. This reaffirms the UK's global leadership on AIDS, including through a commitment to spend £6 billion over seven years to 2015 to strengthen health systems and services. This is in addition to the UK Government's long-term commitments of £1 billion (2007-15) to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
	Preventing people from becoming infected with HIV is our best hope of stopping the epidemic and related illnesses. "Achieving Universal Access" sets out how the UK will intensify prevention efforts that have proven to be effective, such as prevention of mother-to-child transmission, family planning and reducing the harm from injecting drug use. The strategy recognises that an effective response to AIDS also requires action outside the health sector. The UK government is therefore committed to a multisectoral response to AIDS that includes action in education, social protection and justice.
	"Achieving Universal Access the UK's strategy for halting and reversing the spread of HIV in the developing world" was published 2 June 2008 and is available on the Department for International Development (DFID) website
	www.dfid.gov.uk
	and in the Library of the House.

St Helena: Airports

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when the pause on the construction of an airport on the island of St Helena commenced; when it will finish; what its purpose is; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Foster: We announced on 8 December 2008,  Official Report, columns WS46-47 that there will be a pause in negotiations over the St. Helena airport contract. We are reviewing whether it is right to proceed with this project in the present difficult economic climate. We will announce the outcome of our considerations as soon as we are able to.

St. Helena: Airports

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what effect the exchange rate between the euro and sterling has had on the pause currently in force on the construction contract of an airport for the island of St Helena.

Michael Foster: The St. Helena airport tender called for bids in up to four international currencies. The 30 per cent. drop in the value of the UK pound against the euro since the bids were submitted in November 2007 has served to increase the likely out-turn cost of the project.

Departmental Absenteeism

Greg Hands: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many staff of his Department were recorded absent for non-medical reasons on  (a) 2 February 2009 and  (b) 3 February 2009; what estimate he has made of the (i) cost to his Department and (ii) number of working hours lost due to such absence; and what guidance his Department issued to staff in respect of absence on these days.

Tom Watson: Guidance was issued to staff that they should follow Cabinet Office policy on dealing with transport domestic emergencies.
	Short periods of special leave with pay are authorised and recorded by managers and not held centrally. To obtain this information in relation to 2 and 3 February 2009 would represent a disproportionate cost.

Futurebuilders Fund

Nick Hurd: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what changes have been made to the allocation of funding to Futurebuilders since the start of the current comprehensive spending review.

Kevin Brennan: The Futurebuilders Fund draws down funding from the Cabinet Office when commitments made by the fund are ready to be disbursed to third sector organisations. Due to the time it can take for third sector organisations to become fully investment ready following an in principle commitment from the Futurebuilders Fund, it is often difficult to accurately predict expenditure of the Fund in any given financial year. Budget allocations to the Fund are therefore updated on a regular basis.
	For our current indicative budget allocations to the Fund I refer the hon. Member to the answer I have given to the parliamentary question number 260488.

Government Departments: Data Protection

Tim Boswell: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster which Government departments have fully implemented the recommendations of the review of data handling procedures in Government; and what recent steps he has taken to set cross-Government standards on the management of information.

Tom Watson: Departments have already reported on information risk management and implementation of the Data Handling Report (DHR) requirements in their annual resource accounts and will continue to do so on an annual basis. The DHR stated that a report on information risk and assurance will be placed before Parliament following annual reporting from departments on the 2008-09 financial year. This report will also cover departments' implementation of the recommendations of the DHR and information risk in general. Indications so far are that departments are making good progress, and are focussed on completing the implementation of the DHR requirements.
	Recent steps taken by my Department include: the rolling-out of a civil service wide e-learning package for all staff on data security with around 100 different public sector organisations accessing the training to date; the delivery of updated guidance on information risk assessments and reporting procedures; further and ongoing training and development sessions for Senior Information Risk Owners across departments.

Departmental Correspondence

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his Department's average response time to a letter received from  (a) an hon. Member and  (b) a member of the public has been since it was established.

Mike O'Brien: The Cabinet Office, on an annual basis, publishes a report to Parliament on the performance of departments in replying to Members correspondence. The report for 2007 was published on 20 March 2008,  Official Report, columns 71-74WS. Information for 2008 is currently being collated and will be published as soon as it ready. Reports for earlier years are available in the Library of the House.
	With respect to correspondence from members of the public, this information cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate costs. The Department does however aim to respond to all written correspondence within 15 working days.
	Statistics on the handling of letters from members of the public are published in the DEFRA annual report which will be available later in the year.

Nuclear Power Stations

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 
	(1)  whether he proposes to provide further opportunities for the nomination of potential nuclear new build sites after the current period closes on 31 March 2009;
	(2)  what consideration he gave to providing for a period of evaluation of other than two months for the nomination of potential nuclear new build sites; and for what reasons two months was the preferred period.

Mike O'Brien: The strategic siting assessment is a process for identifying and assessing sites which are strategically suitable for the deployment of new nuclear power stations by the end of 2025. The Government believes that it is important to focus on sites which can come on stream in good time to contribute to our goals on climate change and energy security. 2025 provides sufficient focus to facilitate the achievement of these goals whilst avoiding an unnecessarily long list of potential sites which may not come on stream for some years. Should the need arise the Government will issue a second call for nominations for credible sites which might be deployed after 2025.
	The Government Response to Consultation on the SSA process and siting criteria, published in January this year set out the next steps, including nomination forms, guidance to nominators and the timetable of assessment. The deadline for nominations is 31 March 2009. The nominations will be published on the DECC website and there will be a month long period for public comment prior, and in addition, to public consultation later in the year.
	In the consultation on the SSA process and siting criteria Government set out the proposal that the nomination window would be eight weeks. Having considered the responses to the consultation, the Government believes that an eight week window for nominations gives nominators sufficient time to absorb the changes to the criteria resulting from the consultation, to complete nominations and to perform their engagement activities. The Government did consider leaving time between the publication of the criteria in the Response and subsequently calling for nominations, but felt that this would introduce complexity into the nomination period. The Government's conclusions in relation to the nomination window are set out more fully in the Government Response to the SSA Consultation.

Renewable Energy: International Co-operation

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Morley and Rothwell of 16 June 2008,  Official Report, columns 641-2W, on renewable energy: international co-operation, what recent assessment he has made of the merits of the establishment of an international renewable energy agency in the light of other existing organisations and initiatives in the field of renewable energy.

Mike O'Brien: holding answer 10 February 2009
	We have fully supported the proposal for an International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). During 2008, we were engaged in the process for establishing IRENA and more recently we participated in the founding conference on 26 January and the first session of the Preparatory Commission of IRENA on 27 January 2009.
	We continue to be keen on joining IRENA and have been in close contact with the German Government on the details of the new organisation. For example, we have been talking to Germany about how IRENA can contribute to the roll-out and deployment of renewables and how we can help to get other countries such as Canada, China, Japan, India and the US to join. We also want to make sure that IRENA works closely with, and avoids overlap and duplication with, other international bodies and organisations, such as the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the renewable energy and energy efficiency partnership (REEEP). The IEA has a good understanding of the potential for renewable energy and its technology roadmaps published in its Energy Technologies Perspectives 2008 set out what needs to be done. The policy and analytical expertise of the IEA needs to be used by IRENA to accelerate deployment of renewable sources of energy.

Windfall Tax: Energy

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on levying a windfall tax on the profits of energy companies; what representations he has received from  (a) trades unions and  (b) consumer groups on an energy windfall tax; what the reasons were for deciding against such a tax; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the transcript of his comments to Radio Five Live on 23 September on energy windfall taxes.

Mike O'Brien: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has regular discussions with the Chancellor on various economic issues relating to the energy markets, and receives representations on issues relating to the energy markets from a broad range of organisations. All taxes are kept under review by the Chancellor as part of the Budget and pre-Budget report process. Any decision to levy a tax on the profits of energy companies would need to consider the impact on UK competitiveness and the long term investment required to move to a low-carbon economy.
	My officials have tried on a number of occasions to obtain from the BBC the transcript you requested without success so far.

Academies

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families for what purpose he has commissioned an analysis of academy schools from PricewaterhouseCoopers; what skills and capabilities provided by PricewaterhouseCoopers for this purpose are not available in his Department; and how much his Department has paid to PricewaterhouseCoopers for this project.

Jim Knight: In 2002, as the first cohort of academies opened, the Department decided that it was important to have an independent evaluation of the programme, given the high-profile, and innovative nature of the scheme.
	The Department tendered for an external organisation to carry out a five year evaluation and PricewaterhouseCoopers were selected on the strength of their proposals. They were able to provide a team of professional educationalists with experience in academic educational research, who were available to work on the evaluation for five years, bringing continuity of personnel. The value of the contract was £1,559,940 and their fifth and final report in the contract was published last November

Children in Care: Boarding Schools

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families with reference to the answer of 25 November 2008,  Official Report, column 1418W, on children in care: boarding schools, when he expects the school census team to provide the information which is to be placed in the Library.

Beverley Hughes: The information has now been placed in the Libraries.

General Certificate of Secondary Education

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 14 January 2009,  Official Report, column 845W, on general certificate of secondary education, how many and what percentage of pupils in the maintained mainstream sector achieved a GCSE in  (a) physics,  (b) chemistry and  (c) biology at grade (i) A* and (ii) A in 2008, broken down by index of multiple deprivation decile.

Jim Knight: The information is provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Results of pupils at the end of key stage 4 in maintained mainstream schools achieving a GCSE in Physics, Chemistry or Biology at grade A* or A by IDACI deprivation decile( 1)  of known pupil residence in England, 2007/08( 2) 
			  IDACI decile1  (a) Physics  (b) Chemistry  (c) Biology 
			   (i) Grade A*  (ii) Grade A  (i) Grade A*  (ii) Grade A  (i) Grade A*  (ii) Grade A 
			   No.( 3)  %( 4)  No.( 3)  %( 4)  No.( 3)  %( 4)  No.( 3)  %( 4)  No.( 3)  %( 4)  No.( 3)  %( 4) 
			 0-10% most deprived 241 10.4 520 22.4 273 11.6 590 25.1 216 7.5 595 20.7 
			 10-20% 286 10.6 628 23.4 341 12.4 644 23.3 291 8.7 700 21.0 
			 20-30% 428 13.0 868 26.4 457 13.8 903 26.8 412 10.5 1,004 25.6 
			 30-40% 543 13.5 1,072 26.7 558 13.7 1,087 27.3 518 11.1 1,159 24.8 
			 40-50% 678 14.6 1,312 28.2 756 16.1 1,282 29.3 675 12.9 1,437 27.4 
			 50-60% 988 18.1 1,618 29.6 1,019 18.5 1,616 30.8 930 15.4 1,839 30.5 
			 60-70% 1,220 19.9 1,873 30.6 1,240 20.2 1,873 30.4 1,150 17.1 2,107 31.4 
			 70-80% 1,389 19.9 2,165 31.0 1,396 19.9 2,160 30.8 1,253 16.7 2,452 32.6 
			 80-90% 1,727 22.1 2,444 31.3 1,762 22.4 2,482 31.5 1,679 20.2 2,738 33.0 
			 90-100% least deprived 2,378 25.8 3,019 32.7 2,375 25.7 3,084 33.3 2,201 22.8 3,429 35.5 
			 (1) 2007 Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index at Super Output Area level based on the residence of the pupil. (2) Provisional. Includes attempts and achievements by these pupils in previous academic years. (3) Number of pupils entered for the subject who achieved the grade. (4) Percentage of all entries for the subject.  Source:  National Pupil Database

Nurseries: Vacancies

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 3 February 2009,  Official Report, columns 1067-8W, on nurseries: vacancies, if he will estimate the number of full-time vacancies there were in local authority maintained nurseries in 2008.

Beverley Hughes: The Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey collects information on the number of childcare places in maintained nursery schools in England. Information regarding the number of full-time vacancies in maintained nurseries in 2008 is not yet available. The Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey 2008 will be published later this year.

Special Educational Needs

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 23 February 2009 to question 256859, what other ways of obtaining information on looked after children are being explored; and when he expects this process to have been completed.

Beverley Hughes: The Department is working on a project to match looked after children data from the SSDA 903 collection with the National Pupil Database. If successful this would enable us to produce analysis for looked after children on a range of attainment indicators and characteristics, including information on special educational needs.
	We are hoping to report on the findings including on the robustness of the matching exercise by the end of 2009.

Teachers: Male

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 10 February 2009,  Official Report, columns 1969-70W on teachers: male, what the equivalent figures were in each local authority area in each of the last 10 years.

Jim Knight: The table, which is to be placed in the House Library shows the number of local authority maintained primary and secondary schools in England that employed fewer than 10 per cent. 2 per cent. and 3 per cent. qualified full-time equivalent male teachers in each local authority in England, January 1997 to 2008.

Teachers: Offenders

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 22 January 2009,  Official Report, column 1710W, on teachers: offenders, whether his Department has information on where the requested information is held.

Jim Knight: Information on any convictions or police warnings that teachers have received may be held by their employers, local authorities or individual schools as appropriate.
	The Department for Children Schools and Families does not hold information relating to convictions or any police cautions received by teachers as it does not employ them directly.

Youth Services: Finance

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many myplace projects have been initiated by  (a) local authorities and  (b) young people.

Beverley Hughes: To date, myplace funding of £240 million has been awarded to 62 projects. 33 of those projects are local authority led.
	Myplace aims to deliver world class youth facilities driven by the active participation of young people and their views and needs. All myplace projects have demonstrated clear evidence that young people, particularly disadvantaged young people, have been and will be fully involved in the development, design and future running of the project.

Broadband: Pensioners

John Battle: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assessment he has made of levels of broadband access for pensioners; and if he will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: Over 99 per cent. of households are connected to a broadband enabled telephone exchange. Ofcom stated in 2008 that 46 per cent. of those over 65 had broadband access at home. This contrasts with 57 per cent. of adults in the same period.
	The Government recognise digital inclusion as being a very important challenge facing the UK. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales and my noble Friend the Minister for Communications, Technology and Broadcasting, has formed a dedicated Cabinet Committee—MISC 34 and established a cross-government co-ordination unit. The Government have engaged a wide range of stakeholders in developing the cross-government report "Delivering Digital Inclusion - An Action plan for Consultation" in order to have a coherent and concerted drive to address digital inclusion and increase access to broadband/digital technologies for pensioner households and people with disabilities. The action plan details over 70 Government actions taking place to advance digital inclusion. The action plan and details are available at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/communities/deliveringdigitalinclusion
	and
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/communities/digitalinclusionannex

Broadband: Rural Areas

James Gray: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what recent assessment he has made of the likely economic effect on rural small businesses of not having access to broadband in the next two years.

Patrick McFadden: This Department has made no recent assessment on the likely economic effect on rural small businesses of not being able to access broadband in the next two years. However, I recognise the importance of broadband access in rural areas and will be developing plans for a universal service commitment to be effective by 2012 as part of the Digital Britain report. We will set out our plans for the level of service which we believe should be universal and anticipate that this consideration will include options up to 2Mb/s.

One NorthEast: Finance

Jim Cousins: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the estimated monetary value is of the assets transferred to the North East Property Partnership by One North East (ONE); and what income from the Partnership has been received by ONE in each year since 2004-05.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 3 March 2009
	Assets valued at £122 million at 31 March 2004 were transferred on 1 April 2004 to the North East Property Partnership in exchange for loan notes valued at £148 million.
	The income received from the partnership in each financial year from 2004-05 is:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2004-05 14.3 
			 2005-06 26.2 
			 2006-07 14.2 
			 2007-08 17.6 
			 2008-09 8.4 
			 (1)( )Forecast figure only

Royal Mail: Pensions

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what independent assessment Royal Mail's Pension Fund trustees have commissioned of the projected numbers of new pensioners to the fund between 2010 and 2015.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 27 February 2009
	 This is a matter for the Royal Mail Pension Fund trustees.

Royal Mail: Pensions

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what independent assessment Royal Mail pension trustees have commissioned of their fund's deficit projections between 2010 and 2015.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 27 February 2009
	 This is a matter for the Royal Mail Pension Fund trustees.

Royal Mail: Pensions

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform upon what independent actuarial analysis the Chairman of the Royal Mail's Pension Fund trustees based her estimate of the 2009 fund deficit.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 27 February 2009
	 This is a matter for the Royal Mail Pension Fund trustees.

Royal Mail: Pensions

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what mechanisms his Department plans to use to assess the  (a) financial strength and  (b) current and future pension funding liabilities for existing employees of overseas companies expressing interest in a minority shareholding in Royal Mail.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 2 March 2009
	Negotiations with companies interested in entering into a partnership with Royal Mail will be commercially sensitive. The Government will use the following criteria to judge potential partners suitability:
	the price offered for a minority stake or partnership and their ability to finance the investment;
	ability to add value to Royal Mail as a whole, including by assisting in the transformation of Royal Mail's letters business and the modernisation of its network; and
	capacity to manage stakeholder issues successfully, including relations with trade unions.

Union Modernisation Fund

Francis Maude: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform pursuant to the answer of 4 February 2009,  Official Report, column 1319W, on the union modernisation fund, what his Department's policy is on taking minutes at official meetings.

Patrick McFadden: The Department has a general requirement to keep an appropriate record of departmental business; but does not have a specific policy on taking minutes.

Union Modernisation Fund

Francis Maude: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform pursuant to the answer of 4 February 2009,  Official Report, column 1319W, on the union modernisation fund, what the  (a) remit and  (b) function of the Supervisory Board is.

Patrick McFadden: The functions and remit of the UMF supervisory board, established following a public consultation, are:
	The board advises Ministers on the projects which they consider should be supported by the fund in each bid round in the light of their assessment against the selection criteria. The final authority for approving bids rests with Ministers;
	At the request of Ministers, the board will advise Ministers on matters relating to the performance or operation of the fund, including its future development; and
	The board will be advised and supported by BERR officials. Subject to this, the board is responsible for determining its own procedures, including protocol in cases of possible conflicts of interest.

Union Modernisation Fund

Francis Maude: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform pursuant to the answer of 4 February 2009,  Official Report, column 1319W, on the union modernisation fund, on what dates the Supervisory Board has met in the last 24 months.

Patrick McFadden: The UMF supervisory board has met twice over the last 24 months on
	2-3 July 2007;
	7 November 2008.

Union Modernisation Fund

Francis Maude: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform pursuant to the answer of 4 February 2009,  Official Report, column 1319W, on the union modernisation fund, for what reasons minutes were not produced for the Supervisory Board meetings.

Patrick McFadden: No minutes are taken at the UMF supervisory board at the request of the board members in line with its terms of reference.

Departmental Legislation

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what Acts for which his Department has policy responsibility received Royal Assent between 1 May 1997 and 1 January 2009; which provisions of those Acts  (a) have not yet come into force,  (b) have been repealed prior to coming into force and  (c) have been repealed after coming into force; and how many prosecutions have taken place for each offence created under each of those Acts.

Michael Wills: There is currently no central record of the information required. In order to obtain this information, a detailed investigation will need to be undertaken which will take some time. This information is being collated and I will write to the hon. Member as soon as it is available. A copy will be placed in the House Library.

Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much has been claimed in reimbursable expenses by special advisers in his Department in 2008-09 to date.

Jack Straw: Between the 1 April 2008 and 28 February 2009. a total of £640.85 was claimed in reimbursable expenses by the Department's special advisers.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  which local authorities  (a) do and  (b) do not give turnout targets for their electoral registration departments as part of their corporate policy goals;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the number of people eligible to but not registered to vote in each region of the UK;
	(3)  if he will commission further research into the reasons for low levels of voter registration;
	(4)  if he will  (a) issue guidelines to local authorities on how to increase voter registration and  (b) regularly publish a league table of the local authorities in respect of levels of voter registration they achieve; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Wills: Issuing guidelines to electoral registration officers (EROs) on how to increase electoral registration falls within the remit of the Electoral Commission. The current guidelines, published in February 2008, include advice on the activities that EROs should undertake to comply with their duty to take all steps that are necessary to maintain the electoral register, including sending the annual canvass form more than once, making house to house inquiries in connection with the canvass, making contact by such other means as the ERO thinks appropriate with a person who does not have an entry in the register, and inspecting any record that the ERO is permitted by law to inspect.
	The Government have not made an estimate of the number of people eligible to but, not registered to vote, in each region of the UK and there are currently no plans to commission research into low levels of registration. However, in their research report, "Understanding Electoral Registration", published in September 2005, the Electoral Commission estimated that 3.5 million eligible electors were not registered to vote.
	Since this report was published the number of people registered to vote in UK as reported by the Office for National Statistics has continued to increase. Following the 2007 annual canvass the number of parliamentary electors grew by 307,669 to 45,082,854 and the number of local government electors grew by 463,340 to 45,920,503. In 2008, the number of parliamentary electors grew by 111,595 to 45,194,449 and the number of local government electors grew by 227,374 to 46,147,877.
	The Government remain concerned about the need to address levels of under-registration in Great Britain. To this end, we have recently tabled amendments to the political parties and Elections Bill that will allow the Secretary of State to pilot data matching schemes under which public authorities will provide registration officers with information to assist them in maintaining an accurate and comprehensive register. In addition, we plan to introduce secondary legislation to enable EROs in areas where there are two tiers of local government to be able to access data held by the higher tier to help them identify individuals who are not registered to vote. This will mirror arrangements in place for EROs in single tier areas.
	The Government have no current plans to produce a league table of electoral registration officers' performance in respect of registration rates. However, the performance standards-framework established by the Electoral Administration Act 2006 provides for the Electoral Commission to set and monitor performance standards for electoral administrators, including EROs.
	The Electoral Commission published a final set of performance standards for Electoral Registration Officers in Great Britain in July 2008. details of which have been laid before the House. The Commission will publish the results of EROs' self-assessments against the standards in spring 2009.
	It is not known which local authorities (a) do and (b) do not give turnout targets for their electoral registration departments as part of their corporate policy goals as this is not collected centrally.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will assess the merits of using  (a) council tax registration,  (b) census and  (c) labour force survey data to augment the electoral register; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Wills: Electoral registration officers (ERO) are authorised to inspect the records kept by the local authority that appointed them, and those kept by any registrar of births and deaths, for the purpose of their registration duties. Those records include council tax records. By virtue of provision made in the Electoral Administration Act 2006, EROs are required to make such use of these powers as are necessary to comply with their duty of maintaining electoral registers. The Government remains concerned about the need to address levels of under-registration in Great Britain. To this end, the Government tabled amendments to the political parties and Elections Bill that we accepted at Commons report that will allow the Secretary of State to pilot data matching schemes under which public authorities will provide registration officers with information to assist them in maintaining an accurate and comprehensive register.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much was spent per elector on voter registration in each local authority area ranked in descending order of expenditure for the last year in which figures are available.

Michael Wills: As my hon. Friend, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Justice (Bridget Prentice) explained in answer to a similar question from the hon. Member on 18 June 2008,(Official Report, columns 999-1000W), funding for electoral registration activities such as advertising is included in the local authority formula grant issued by central Government. Once these funds are allocated, decisions on how they are utilised are a matter for the local authorities concerned. It is not known how much was spent in total or per elector for electoral registration in each local authority area, as these figures are not collected, and therefore no rankings are available. There has been no recent UK-wide assessment of the trends in the annual expenditure of local authority electoral registration officers. However, as part of its work in developing Performance Standards for electoral services, the Electoral Commission launched a financial information survey across Great Britain on 10 September 2007. Electoral Registration Officers and Returning Officers were asked to complete the survey and return it by 31 July 2008. The Commission is currently analysing this information in conjunction with CIPFA (the Chartered Institute of Public Finance Accountants) and will publish results in due course.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment his Department has made of the main reasons for non-registration of voters.

Michael Wills: The Government have not commissioned or evaluated any recent research on the reasons for non-registration. However, the Government did utilise some existing research concerning the attitudes and motivations of the electorate, as commissioned by the then Department of Constitutional Affairs in 2005, as a basis for further work towards identifying an evidence base for policy development and service targets in the electoral field.
	The Electoral Commission found in their report, 'Understanding Electoral Registration', published in September 2005 that the most likely electors not to be registered to vote included young people, those residing in private rented accommodation and those belonging to certain minority ethnic groups.
	Section 9 of the Electoral Administration Act 2006 placed a new, explicit duty on Electoral Registration Officers (ERO) to take all steps that are necessary for the purpose of complying with their duty to maintain the registers. These steps include sending the annual canvass form more than once, making house to house inquiries in connection with the canvass, making contact by such other means as the ERO thinks appropriate with a person who does not have an entry in the register, and inspecting records that the ERO is permitted to inspect, which should help to tackle under-registration.
	The Government remain concerned about the need to address levels of under-registration in Great Britain. To this end. we have recently tabled amendments to the Political Parties and Elections Bill, that will allow the Secretary of State to pilot data matching schemes, under which public authorities will provide registration officers with information to assist them in maintaining an accurate and comprehensive register. In addition, we plan to introduce secondary legislation to enable EROs in areas where there are two-tiers of local government to be able to access data held by the higher tier to help them identify individuals who are not registered to vote. This will mirror arrangements in place for EROs in single tier areas.

Jean Charles de Menezes

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what his latest estimate is of the cost of the de Menezes inquest; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  pursuant to the answer of 9 December 2008,  Official Report, column 405, on the de Menezes inquest, what discussions he has had with the London boroughs of Southwark, Lambeth, Lewisham and Greenwich on sharing the cost of the inquest; and if he will make a statement.

Jack Straw: The estimated cost at 17 December 2008 is £2.157 million although this figure is not final. The Government have agreed that this inquest is exceptional and financial support to the local authorities will therefore be provided. Officials from the Ministry of Justice and the Home Office are now discussing the details with the local authorities.

Prisoners Release

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much expenditure has been incurred by  (a) prison governors and  (b) his Department making subsistence payments to offenders on end-of-custody licence.

Jack Straw: The End of Custody Licence (ECL) scheme was announced on 19 June 2007 and came into effect on 29 June. The available information covers the period from 1 July 2007 to 31 December 2008 and is set out in the following table.
	
		
			   £ 
			 Paid direct to prisoners by Prison Governors and Directors of contracted out prisons 2,368,300 
			 Paid to prisoners by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) on behalf of the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) 3,115,874 
			 Paid to DWP by NOMS for provision of the payment service 428,957 
			 Total Expenditure 5,913,131 
		
	
	When the ECL scheme was first introduced, offenders released for the maximum of 18-days received their subsistence payments in instalments through the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP), who make payments on behalf of the Ministry of Justice. Prisoners released for less than 18-days were paid in full by prisons on release. From 23 June 2008, payment in instalments by DWP was extended to prisoners spending 15-days or more on ECL. From 15 December, payment in instalments by DWP has been further extended to offenders spending 8-days or more on ECL. The advantage of the system of payments through DWP is that prisoners receive their subsistence in instalments rather than in a single lump sum.
	The administrative costs incurred in individual prisons in arranging payments cannot be separately identified as the work is carried out as part of the wider discharge process.